The unfortunate verdict was rendered as a result of an accidental second-round eyepoke from Cavalcante that left Wilcox writhing in pain and ultimately unable to continue following a doctor’s assessment.

The contest served as the featured preliminary bout of Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum” event, which took place at Dallas’ American Airlines Center. The four-bout preliminary card aired on HDNet and preceded the evening’s Showtime-broadcast main card.

Wilcox opened the fight the busier athlete, choosing to rely on his striking attack rather than his trustworthy wrestling. The gamble was a solid choice, as Wilcox was consistently quicker to the punch, not to mention the kick, which he mixed in well along the way. A brief takedown also scored points, and Wilcox was ahead on all three judges’ cards following the opening round.

The bout was shaping up as a classic, but just 31 ticks into the second frame, a Cavalcante eyepoke sent Wilcox crumpling to the floor. Frustrated and obvious pain, Wilcox was ruled unfit to continue, and the bout was ruled a no decision.

Following a bout that was expected to have lightweight title implications, Wilcox (11-3 MMA, 5-1 SF) remains on an official six-fight win streak. With his second no-contest result in his past six outings, Cavalcante (15-4-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) is still seeking his first Strikeforce win.
Heun refuses to tap, earns decision over Almeida

Lightweights Conor Heun and Magno Almeida combined for a grappling-heavy affair that left the crowd wondering how “Hurricane” didn’t suffer a severe arm injury. In truth, he may have.

Heun opened the fight with a takedown, but it was Almeida who threatened from his back with a deep series of attempted leglocks and an impressive omo plata. But Heun pulled free from the holds and scored a second takedown later in the frame. While closely contested, Heun’s time in top position appeared to be enough to net him the fight.

In the second, the pair worked briefly in the clinch before Almeida was able to capitalize on a Heun takedown by locking up an extremely deep armbar. Heun writhed and rolled as he looked to free the limb, but Almeida refused to let go. As the crowd audibly gasped at the contorted appendage, Heun refused to submit and battled through the hold. Almeida finally released the arm, but the near-finish was enough to take the round.

In the final round, the two once again engaged in an entertaining ground battle. Almeida again tried to latch onto an armbar that wouldn’t come, as well as a tight-looking brabo choke, but a gutsy Heun pulled free and launched into a ground-and-pound assault. The effort bloodied Almeida’s nose and left and impression with the judges, and all three awarded Heun the fight, 29-28.

Heun (9-4 MMA, 1-2 SF) snaps a two-fight losing streak in picking up the much-needed win. However, he was holding his elbow as he left the cage, and the joint was quickly swelling in grotesque fashion. Almeida (9-2-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) loses in his promotional debut but will surely earn a return trip to the promotion with the exciting effort.

Burrell survives Ray submission onslaught, nets decision win

In 180-pound catchweight action, Nah-Shon Burrell used a crisp striking attack and ample submission defense to earn a unanimous decision over American Top Team’s Joe Ray.

Burrell was the aggressor in all three frames, utilizing takedowns to work the fight to the floor throughout the bout. But in the opening round, it was Ray who proved most dangerous in the position with no less than five earnest submission attempts ranging from armbars to kimuras to a leglock. Unfortunately for him, Burrell survived every attempt and took over in the final two frames.

Despite holding an apparent edge on the feet, where he was landing the cleaner blows, Burrell continued to push the action to the mat. Ray looked to tire as the action wore on, and Burrell took advantage of it by controlling the pace until the final bell. In the end, it was enough to take home a very workmanlike decision, 29-28 on all three judges’ cards.

“The crowd here was loud and got me fired up right away, and I’m glad so many people got to see me,” Burrell said following the win. “I really started to feel him gas pretty early on, and it made it easier to carry out my gameplan. I had him backing up the whole time and I knew I had him.”

Burrell (6-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) earns a decision win for the first time in his career. The six previous results had all come via knockout or TKO. Meanwhile, Ray (5-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) falls to 1-2 in his past three contests.

Vallie-Flagg awarded controversial split

In the evening’s first preliminary-card contest, Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts product Isaac Vallie-Flagg edged out late replacement Brian Melancon in a hard-fought split decision that was greeted with a chorus of boos when the final score was read.

Melancon’s best moments were clearly in the opening frame, when he took his opponent’s back and threatened with a rear-naked choke. He was unable to secure the submission, but further work on the feet left Vallie-Flagg’s left eye busted and bruised. However, his heart was still in the fight.

The pace slowed in the second, but it was Vallie-Flagg who seemed to control the pacing and positioning of the frame. Melancon did rattle his foes with a big straight right, but it didn’t appear to be enough to steal the round.

With the fight seemingly in the balance in the final round, Vallie-Flagg relied on knees and elbows in the clinch, while Melancon worked a pair of successful takedowns. One such effort resulted in mount for Melancon, but it wasn’t enough for him to secure the frame. Instead, judges apparently valued Vallie-Flagg’s work inside, as he was awarded an unpopular split-decision win.

“I felt great out there,” Vallie-Flagg said after the win. “I just wanted to put on a great fight and make sure that at the end of the night, I was a better fighter than him.”

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is probably the greatest female fighter on the planet, which is a tremendous feat. So why are we seemingly so obsessed with arguing about whether she could beat up men?